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On Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010, a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Port au Prince, Haiti. In its wake thousands of people were left dead and more than 1 million were left homeless. The Coast Guard was one of the first to arrive in Haitian waters with relief support and supplies. The devastation would require support from around the world and the Coast Guard nationwide.
Thousands of miles from Haiti, in Renton, Wash., Jaymi Fox, the 4thgrade teacher at Talbot Elementary School, received word from her student, Paige Crothers, that her dad was being sent to help. Paige’s dad, Chief Petty Officer Tim Crothers, a storekeeper at Base Support Unit Seattle was informed that he was being deployed for an unknown amount of time in support of Haitian operations. Tim Crothers would be part of a team of Coast Guard members sent to Miami to manage the thousands of people and supplies sent for humanitarian relief.
With a Coast Guard wife and mother and daughter in her class, Fox felt that she too needed to lend a helping hand, along with 30 other little hands.
“Tim was sent to Miami literally within a few days of the earthquake,” said Angela Crothers, mother of Paige Crothers and a parent helper for the 4thgrade class. “Paige’s teacher asked if the class could adopt his unit for Valentine’s Day and send thank you’s for what the Coasties were doing.”
Fox’s idea turned out to be extremely well received by not only the class but by the school and the parents as well.
“The kids were totally excited when I told them about adopting the Coast Guard unit for Valentine’s Day,” said Fox smiling. “The parents were so overwhelmingly supportive.”
With the help of Angela Crothers and Paige, Fox would get all of the information she needed about Tim Crothers’ unit and go to work right away. Over the next few weeks ideas floated around on what the class wanted to do for Tim’s unit. It was decided that the kids would send ‘care packages’ containing treats and letters for each Coast Guard member.
During the first week of Feb., Fox’s class started to resemble an auto assembly line. Parents had brought in ingredients to make several delicious delights that would accompany the handwritten letters from the children. With stations set up around the classroom, everyone went straight to work.
“We made chocolate chip cookies, Muddy Buddies, caramel corn and a few other goodies that week,” said Fox.
I sent Muddy Buddies to the Coast Guard,” said Adrian Amador, one of Fox’s students. He explained that they are sweet snacks made with cereal, chocolate and sugar.
“We ended up sending two huge boxes of goodies, treats, letters and a huge cut out heart signed by the class,” said Angela Crothers.
Throughout the process, the class was very curious about what was going on in Haiti. Fox explained that she tried to keep information about the disaster on a positive note. The kids were fully aware of what had happened, but graphic details were left out. Fox would go into great details about the relief efforts from not just the Coast Guard, but from the other services and organizations who rushed to help the millions of people desperately in need.
“This is such a valuable lesson for the kids,” said Fox. “They are giving back and supporting their community and their world.”
For Fox’s 4thgrade class, their care package did just that. Tim Crothers’ unit was so moved by the gesture they felt the best way to say thank you was to write back to each individual child and send a few goodies of their own. Tim Crothers was able to get in contact with the 7th District Coast Guard Public Affairs Office in Miami to send their packages back to Seattle and personally delivered by a Coast Guard member to Fox’s class.
On delivery day, their eyes lit up as though they were waking up to presents on Christmas morning. Squeals of delight echoed throughout the colorful and brightly lit classroom. Curious, excited looks were shot between classmates wondering what surprises were in store for them. One by one each child’s name was called out and given two personalized letters along with some Coast Guard wristbands.
“This is the first time I ever got a letter when it wasn’t a holiday,” said Amador. “They said they really liked my Muddy Buddies and that made me really happy.”
“It’s wonderful getting these letters,” said Helen Nguyen, a student in Fox’s class. “I really liked their handwriting. I’m really sad that Haiti had a big earthquake like that.”
“I’m really proud of my dad,” said Paige. “We (the class) were really happy he sent goodies back. I knew he was going to be gone for a long time but I knew he would be trying to help the kids and people in Haiti.”
Any person who watched the smiles unfold would understand that words were not needed to express the gratitude that was felt throughout the class. Fox’s computer desktop wallpaper showed a photo of Tim Crothers and his unit holding up the large signed heart. Each child ran to their friend’s desk to share the letters that they received. Sitting silently on the side of the class was Tim Crothers’ wife, Angela Crothers with a satisfied smile spread across her face.
“This is just great,” said Angela Crothers. “So wonderful.”
She wouldn’t be the only satisfied customer. Fox could hardly contain the sound of pure joy in her voice as she spoke.
“I do a lot of supporting the troops any way that I can,” said Fox. “When I found out that Tim was being sent to help, this just felt like the right thing to do. Some people are made for the military and some are made to be teachers. I just do what I can. It’s the best we can do to give back to those who sacrifice for well being of others.” |
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